Beruflich Dokumente
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You're about to embark on a rigorous training program to help you sing precisely in tune.
You'll also be on course to recognize intervals and harmonies in a flash which is a powerful
skill for musicians in general. Along the way, you'll be introduced to some music theory to
help concretize the sounds we'll be studying; if you're new to music theory, don't fret!
We're keeping it focused on what's essential to our goal. If at any time you have any
questions, connect with me for a one-on-one Skype lesson and I'll help you through:
http://www.galtmusic.com/lessons/voice_lessons_skype.html
We'll be working from the ground up, beginning with the building blocks of Western music
itself. Your mission is to absolutely perfect these fundamentals as they're the foundation
upon which everything else stands.
2: What is an interval?
An interval is the distance between two pitches. The smallest interval in Western music is the
half step (also called the semitone or minor second). All other intervals are equivalent to
some integer number of half steps added together. The next largest interval, for example, is
called the whole step (also known as the major second) and it is equivalent to the distance of
two half steps. Below is a chart outlining how all of the intervals we will study relate to the
distance of a half step:
P1 = perfect unison, m2 = minor second, M2 = major second, ,m3 = minor third, M3 = major third, P4 = perfect fourth, T =
tritone, P5 = perfect fifth, m6 = minor sixth, M6 = major sixth, m7 = minor seventh, M7 = major seventh, P8 = perfect octave
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1
2, whole step
3, whole step
4, half step
5, whole step
6, whole step
7, whole step
1, whole step
In this and all subsequent exercises, avoid using too much vibrato, and particularly on the
onset of each pitch. Vibrato, being by its very nature a variation in pitch, can make hearing
the pitch center difficult. Allow yourself to perfect and refine your pitch control before
applying any stylistic vibrato.
To make your practice time here even more efficient, you can treat this like a breath control
exercise at the same time. Take a large (proper) breath before each run and try to get through
as much of the exercise as possible under one breath. Don't allow your pitch to waver as you
run low on air; this is where fine breath control becomes critical! It's worth mentioning that
breath control can have a serious impact on intonation (tuning) so if you haven't worked on it,
then get The Super Bundle, my course of singing technique lessons, here:
http://www.galtmusic.com/lessons/products.html
In Western music, there are 12 distinct notes, C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A
A#/Bb and B. Note that # means "sharp" and indicates to go one half step up from the
letter to which it's applied. b means "flat" and indicates to go one half step down from the
note to which it's applied. This is why some notes have two names, as in C#/Db: they can be
thought of as up from C or down from D.
The next series of exercises will have you sing the scale starting from each of these 12 notes;
the pattern of distances between the notes will not change and, therefore, the next 12
exercises are all the major scale ( just starting from different places).
As a point of pride, once you've completed these next 12 exercises, you'll have practiced
singing in every key! I should mention that this is one of those fundamentals which is very
important to continuously work over time; your ear will become more precise with this
practice, and so you'll be more able to refine it as you progress: a ceaseless cycle of
improvement. This is effort well worth the time; beyond the obvious benefits of perfecting
the most widely used tonality with which most songs are composed, it can be surprisingly
psychologically empowering to know you've worked to perfect every major key.
the same, though the A5 sounds higher than the A4. Notes an octave apart are a bit like two
identical shapes that have differing sizes, or like two shades of the same color.
We have only 12 total notes in Western music, but they repeat continuously, octave after
octave, getting higher and higher or lower and lower until they can no longer be heard by
human ears. If you're interested in the relationship of frequencies between all the notes, see
the chart at the end of the guide.
interval sung...
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
(major second)
(major third)
(perfect fourth)
(perfect fifth)
(major sixth)
(major seventh)
(perfect octave)
2
3
4
5
6
7
1
During the test attempt, you may like to sing the actual distance you're covering (e.g. "major
second") to reinforce the connection between interval name and its sound.
Also, if you prefer, you may substitute Solfege for the scale degree numbers (1=do, 2=re,
3=mi, 4=fa, 5=sol, 6=la, 7=ti).
Many interval types are repeated between each of the upcoming exercises, while only a
couple of new intervals are introduced each time we change the scale degree from which
we're leaping, so as the new intervals are introduced, be sure to study them and take careful
note of their distinct character.
Finally, it's important to make a mental map of where all of these interval distances are found
in the scale; memorize that it's a major sixth between 2 and 7, for example. This is very
important information for singers (aiding in sight singing, improvisation and harmonization,
among other things, in addition to our tuning work) and it's indispensable for songwriters and
composers.
interval sung...
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
(major second)
(minor third*)
(perfect fourth)
(perfect fifth)
(major sixth)
(minor seventh*)
(perfect octave)
3
4
5
6
7
1
2
music. When centering around each scale degree, you can imagine yourself in a "mode" of
the major scale: a kind of distinct tonality with its own flavor. For reference, the modes of the
major scale are named as such:
Centering on 1: Ionian (precisely our major scale)
on 2: Dorian
on 3: Phrygian
on 4: Lydian
on 5: Mixolydian
on 6: Aeolian (also known as the natural minor scale)
on 7: Locrian
interval sung...
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
(minor second)
(minor third)
(perfect fourth)
(diminished fifth*)
(minor sixth*)
(minor seventh)
(perfect octave)
4
5
6
7
1
2
3
interval sung...
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
(major second)
(major third)
(augmented fourth*)
(perfect fifth)
(major sixth)
(major seventh)
(perfect octave)
5
6
7
1
2
3
4
*the augmented fourth is exactly the same distance as the diminished fifth, which is the
distance of 3 whole steps (or whole tones); for that reason, this interval is often called the
"tritone."
interval sung...
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
(major second)
(major third)
(perfect fourth)
(perfect fifth)
(major sixth)
(minor seventh)
(perfect octave)
6
7
1
2
3
4
5
interval sung...
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
(major second)
(minor third)
(perfect fourth)
(perfect fifth)
(minor sixth)
(minor seventh)
(perfect octave)
7
1
2
3
4
5
6
interval sung...
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
(minor second)
(minor third)
(perfect fourth)
(diminished fifth)
(minor sixth)
(minor seventh)
(perfect octave)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
fa
m2
ti
p4
do
m3
sol
mi
P5
M2
ti
la
You sing...
interval sung...
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
(minor second)
(major second)
(minor third)
(major third)
(perfect fourth)
(augmented fourth/tritone)
(perfect fifth)
(minor sixth)
(major sixth)
(minor seventh)
(major seventh)
(perfect octave)
ra
re
me
mi
fa
fi
sol
le
la
te
ti
do
DESCENDING
You sing...
interval sung...
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
(minor second)
(major second)
(minor third)
(major third)
(perfect fourth)
(diminished fifth/tritone)
(perfect fifth)
(minor sixth)
(major sixth)
(minor seventh)
(major seventh)
(perfect octave)
ti
te
la
le
sol
fi
fa
mi
me
re
ra
do
*Note, in Solfege, me is pronounced meh while mi is pronounced like the English word me.
As you can see, there are no new intervals here! We introduced them all through the major
scale. That said, the purpose of this exercise is to give you the ability to sing all intervals as
starting from anywhere, not just from where the intervals can be found in a major key
(because you may not always be singing in a major key!).
Feeling
Intervals contained
Perfect consonance
Imperfect consonance
Dissonance
Grating, biting
Major third.
47: Harmonies
Chords are defined as having at least three pitches that are spaced a third apart; The thirds
between the pitches may be either major or minor.
rarely used in most contemporary music. For our purposes, it's more important to perfect the
most commonly used sonorities; remember, if you choose, you can always derive these (and
all other) chords with what you know about intervals.
60: Congratulations!
You did it! You made it through an intensive workout designed to help you perfect your
ability to sing in tune; now turn it into a regimen! Work with Sing in Tune consistently and
you'll see it transform your abilities. To check out more lessons or just to say hi, visit my
website: http://www.galtmusic.com/lessons/ or my YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/sbgalt
And remember to dig into the "extras" folder for lots of additional practice material!
Appendix
Frequencies of notes (equal-tempered scale)
Note
Frequency (Hz)
C1
32.70
C#1/Db1
34.65
D1
36.71
D#1/Eb1
38.89
E1
41.20
F1
43.65
F#1/Gb1
46.25
G1
49.00
G#1/Ab1
51.91
A1
55.00
A#1/Bb1
58.27
B1
61.74
C2
65.41
C#2/Db2
69.30
D2
73.42
D#2/Eb2
77.78
E2
82.41
F2
87.31
F#2/Gb2
92.50
G2
98.00
G#2/Ab2
103.83
A2
110.00
A#2/Bb2
116.54
B2
123.47
C3
130.81
C#3/Db3
138.59
D3
146.83
D#3/Eb3
155.56
E3
164.81
F3
174.61
F#3/Gb3
185.00
G3
196.00
G#3/Ab3
207.65
A3
220.00
A#3/Bb3
233.08
B3
246.94
C4
261.63
C#4/Db4
277.18
D4
293.66
D#4/Eb4
311.13
E4
329.63
F4
349.23
F#4/Gb4
369.99
G4
392.00
G#4/Ab4
415.30
A4
440.00
A#4/Bb4
466.16
B4
493.88
C5
523.25
C#5/Db5
554.37
D5
587.33
D#5/Eb5
622.25
E5
659.26
F5
698.46
F#5/Gb5
739.99
G5
783.99
G#5/Ab5
830.61
A5
880.00
A#5/Bb5
932.33
B5
987.77
C6
1046.50
C#6/Db6
1108.73
D6
1174.66
D#6/Eb6
1244.51
E6
1318.51
F6
1396.91
F#6/Gb6
1479.98
G6
1567.98
G#6/Ab6
1661.22
A6
1760.00
A#6/Bb6
1864.66
B6
1975.53
C7
2093.00